I haven't played this game since approx. 2003 on the PlayStation 2. My friend Chordata3 wrote a review for this 6 weeks ago about his first time playing the game and it has been on my mind ever since. I haven't played Ico in 20 years yet this game has had a lasting impact on me. This will be more a short retrospective based on my memories than a full review.
Lot's of aspects of Ico are impressive from it's art design to it's atmosphere and wonderful music. What I remember Ico for though is how almost minimalist in it's design philosophy it was to such an extent that it results in a deeper impression in many ways. This game's big impact on me was feelings that still swell up when I think about it now. The relationship of Ico and Yorda the two main characters and how that and their personalities are conveyed through such simple means was truly wonderful and has influenced many games since in game design.
Take the save point, it's usually a functional item or a menu option and nothing more. In Ico it's a two seat couch that Ico and Yorda sit on, it's one of the few locations where music plays and if left long enough the characters will fall asleep together. It performs as so much more than simply a save point but as a vessel for the characters and the atmosphere of the game. The rest of the game uses the silence to amplify the atmosphere of the huge castle and loneliness of our characters trying to escape so these save moments really stands out. When not silent the ambient sounds include birds who Yorda will watch and then chase with an almost childish glee if left to her own devices. When moving around Ico will grab her hand as they run from enemies or move through the castle creating character impressions and a relationship between them with no dialog presented. At the time this was extremely far ahead of what almost every other game I was playing was doing. It made me care for these characters simply through these ideas and it clearly impacted others too. Take this Little Big Planet level It plays an instrumental version of Ico's final theme and to make it play, you have to hold onto Yorda's hand.
Whilst Ico's influence can be seen in many games such as Journey, Rime, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, among many others I still feel in this era of games feeling in some cases too bloated with dialog, icons, features and collectables that at over 20 years old there is still a lot to learn from Ico about subtlety and feeling. An article in Gamerant highlights an interview with the then Team Ico that they intentionally hired staff from outside the game industry at the time and had a "subtracting design" philosophy where any element that interfered with the game's story or theme were simply removed. Whilst not every game should be minimalist, having more isn't always better and Ico at least in character and atmosphere is a perfect example to me of quality over quantity.
A beautiful game that was ahead of it's time. I hope more people go back to experience it with an open mind.
Lot's of aspects of Ico are impressive from it's art design to it's atmosphere and wonderful music. What I remember Ico for though is how almost minimalist in it's design philosophy it was to such an extent that it results in a deeper impression in many ways. This game's big impact on me was feelings that still swell up when I think about it now. The relationship of Ico and Yorda the two main characters and how that and their personalities are conveyed through such simple means was truly wonderful and has influenced many games since in game design.
Take the save point, it's usually a functional item or a menu option and nothing more. In Ico it's a two seat couch that Ico and Yorda sit on, it's one of the few locations where music plays and if left long enough the characters will fall asleep together. It performs as so much more than simply a save point but as a vessel for the characters and the atmosphere of the game. The rest of the game uses the silence to amplify the atmosphere of the huge castle and loneliness of our characters trying to escape so these save moments really stands out. When not silent the ambient sounds include birds who Yorda will watch and then chase with an almost childish glee if left to her own devices. When moving around Ico will grab her hand as they run from enemies or move through the castle creating character impressions and a relationship between them with no dialog presented. At the time this was extremely far ahead of what almost every other game I was playing was doing. It made me care for these characters simply through these ideas and it clearly impacted others too. Take this Little Big Planet level It plays an instrumental version of Ico's final theme and to make it play, you have to hold onto Yorda's hand.
Whilst Ico's influence can be seen in many games such as Journey, Rime, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, among many others I still feel in this era of games feeling in some cases too bloated with dialog, icons, features and collectables that at over 20 years old there is still a lot to learn from Ico about subtlety and feeling. An article in Gamerant highlights an interview with the then Team Ico that they intentionally hired staff from outside the game industry at the time and had a "subtracting design" philosophy where any element that interfered with the game's story or theme were simply removed. Whilst not every game should be minimalist, having more isn't always better and Ico at least in character and atmosphere is a perfect example to me of quality over quantity.
A beautiful game that was ahead of it's time. I hope more people go back to experience it with an open mind.
4 Comments
Awesome review, I’m glad that you had the opportunity to revisit this masterpiece and enjoy your time!!
great review, well said my brudda
@imshitting420 - Thank you for the kind words :)
FallenGrace
1 year ago